Cal Poly Architecture Students Take Top Honors in International Competition

SAN LUIS OBISPO – A Cal Poly architecture student took first place and another team tied for second place in the international 2006 Leading Edge Student Design Competition, Aug. 15.

Participating students were invited to design a 24,600 square foot Nature Museum and Interpretative Center within a new master planned community in California at the nearly 5,000 acre Orange County Great Park site, formerly the El Toro Marine Base.

First place winner Jason Conner, advised by Cal Poly faculty member Margarida Yin, won $3,000 for his design of a museum and center. The judges noted Jason’s “good use of technical analysis” and said that his entry “presented an elegant solution to the program with sophisticated architectural design.”

A Cal Poly team of Scott Rothi, Chris York and Bryce Sigourney, advised by Associate Professor Rob Peña, won $1,000 and tied for second place. Judges commented that their building “would give a nice sense of arrival to visitors, with interesting landscape in the courtyard.”

Winning approaches presented sophisticated architectural designs and included extensive use of day lighting, natural ventilation, solar shading, passive cooling and use of sustainable materials. Cal Poly’s architecture program in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design was awarded a total of $2,000 for the students’ wins.

The event was sponsored by New Buildings Institute, California Energy Commission, Southern California Edison, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Owens Corning.

The Leading Edge Competition allows students and instructors to explore the use of new materials and strategies for building, and the aesthetics and technology of high-performance architecture in a practical, real-world setting.

For more information about the competition and to view the designs, visit http://www.leadingedgecompetition.org.

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